WWE: Big E Neck Injury, Natayla on Rhea Ripley Match Being One of Her Best Ever Matches, Alicia Fox

Big E Neck Injury Update

As noted before, Big E has been out of action for WWE since March of 2022 due to a broken neck injury.

A recent episode of the WWE After The Bell show featured Big E as the guest. One of the topics discussed included Big E providing an update on his recovery from neck injury.

“I feel great. Unfortunately, I don’t have a timetable. The great thing is, I feel 100%, I don’t even feel like someone who broke their neck. My mobility is incredible and great. My strength is great, I have no issues whatsoever. I wish I had some answers on returning to the ring. I have nothing, unfortunately, but the beautiful thing is I feel great, my body feels great, I’m really thankful for that. Life is good. I’m blessed. I can walk around and touch my toes, go to the gym, all those things. Really grateful.

I want to say thank you to the EMTs who were there, very timely. I thought it was a contusion, I didn’t think my neck was broken at all. Thankfully, people got to me before I could do that. So thankful for the people in Birmingham, Dr. (Jeffrey) Dugas, who took great care of me. Everyone who was just there for me. People texting me, emailed me, all the people who checked in. Fans, peers, family, loved ones. Oftentimes, we look at the internet and Twitter, we think of wrestling Twitter, the community, sometimes it can be a dark place and be less than ideal. For me, I just saw a very beautiful community that reached out, wanted to support me, that was there for me, not just the day of or the day after, but weeks and months after. I am so proud to be part of this community and part of this industry because of that. I’m really grateful for all those things. Thank to everyone, I love you guys. I appreciate the love and support. I am doing beautifully. Mind, body, soul, all those things are incredible. Fortunate and blessed to be alive. Tip your waiters. Pay your taxes.”

Transcript h/t: Fightful.com

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Natayla Comments on Her Recent Match with Being “One of the Top Three” of Her Career

A recent episode of the Busted Open Radio podcast featured Natayla as the guest. One of the topics discussed included Natalya’s thoughts on her match with Rhea Ripley for the WWE Women’s World Championship at this past Monday’s RAW show being one of her top matches of her career.

“I went from, going into the match, ‘Okay I can do this, I think I can do this.’ I’m being open and honest about my confidence being rocked since Night of Champions, I fell to a low point. I went into that match on Monday with unsteady confidence. I came out of it like, ‘Yes, I am one of the best women’s wrestlers on the planet, and I can still hang at this level.’ Not only can I hang at this level, but I exceeded everybody’s expectations and going into this match, I think Rhea Ripley underestimated me. It truly felt like a Rocky story. I felt like I was Rocky. Prior to the match, she didn’t think anything of me. She really thought, ‘I’m in there with Nattie, she’s respected.’ She had no idea that I was going to take her to her limit. At the end of the match, what I wanted to do when it was all said and done, I wanted to shake her hand. I wanted to shake her hand and give her a hug. I never got that chance because she beat me up after the match. What I felt was that it was my cry to the world that I could still do this, but I never really lost it. People were like, ‘Nattie really brought it, she had something to prove.’ This has been me the entire time, I haven’t always had that opportunity in the last couple of years, I haven’t had that chance on this stage with somebody like Rhea. It’s been great.

It’s not like I don’t like doing tags, I love being part of a tag team. The stuff that I did with Tamina was awesome and the stuff I did with Shotzi at WrestleMania was fun. To get into a really deep story, I think about my work with Charlotte and Ronda Rousey. I love being a singles competitor and I think about the women that I still want to work with. I want to work at a high level and stay at a high level. Monday night proved that and I’m excited to see where WWE is going to go with me next. We all have to believe in ourselves. You have to have some sort of ego if you’re going to be in this industry. I love being humble and there is a real side of humble Nattie, but I’m also like, I am one of the best women’s wrestlers in the world and I want to go and stay at a high level. On Monday, I brought our 26-year-old Women’s Champion to her knees and made her believe in me, and made the whole world believe in me. I’m ready to stay at this level and prove I belong at this level.”

Transcript h/t: Fightful.com

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Alicia Fox on Feeling “Sad for Every Miscommunication” & Lack of Support from WWE Over Departure

As noted before, Alicia Fox’s, real name Victoria Crawford, contract with WWE expired earlier this year and departed after a 17-year career with the company.

Ring The Belle held a recent interview with Fox. One of the topics discussed included Fox revealing that her contract with WWE had expired in late April and the lack of support she received from the company for her departure.

“I knew that there was a date in April coming that my contract comes to an end. It was like April 25th or something, this year and it was kind of this waiting pattern that I was used to already having like, ‘Well they’ll call me when they need me, they’ll call me when they need me.’ Whatever, whatever.

One day, a fan tweeted me a picture of that legend shirt and I had like a little head on there… I was like, ‘Why is my head on that shirt?’ You’re gonna ‘legend’ me up? That’s not even fair. I got a phone call and they’re like, ‘Are you retired?’ ‘I got my first merch. So sure.’ Sure, okay, whatever (she laughed). We’ll go to the firing date. This whole time I’m nervous I’m gonna get fired, right?… It’s sad (that there was no communication towards the end) and I can’t go on my own social media and say what? I thought maybe my release date, they would give me a statement of support saying, well, she gone. No. No nothing. I don’t know. I just felt bad, you know? I felt sad for every miscommunication or something.”

Transcript h/t: PostWrestling.com